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Lessons from GOOG

Something I saw off Xooglers They have a pretty good blog there recounting their experiences from the GREATEST COMPANY ON EARTH (trying to get a job there, haha)

Eric Schmidt (CEO GOOG) and this dude called Hal Varian came up with 10 Golden RUles for ruling knowledge workers such as those at Planet Google. The link is here, but since i read my own blog ‘cos i use it as a repository of sorts, i will write down the rules here:

Hire by committee./ 360-degree interview method

Cater to their every need.

Pack them in./ Spatial proximity of workers

Make coordination easy./ Mailing your work group

Eat your own dog food./ Use your own products.

Encourage creativity./ 20 % personal time

Strive to reach consensus.

Don’t be evil.

Data drive decisions.

Communicate effectively.

Something else here from Xooglers: “I knew the flavor of leadership that would not proceed without consensus, and I knew the flavor of leadership that weighed unpopular decisions before cautiously stepping forward to test the waters in some limited fashion. I had not experienced leadership infused with such heartfelt conviction that united opposition was simply brushed aside and the risk fully embraced without fear or hesitation.”

3 different leadership models are articulated here:
The Dictator — No consensus nor opinion-soliciting from underlings. Authoritarian “My-word-is-law” concept.
The Diplomat — Everyone has their say, everybody feels part of the decision-making process. The aim is to make everyone happy but the reality is everyone is NOT due to dilution of opinions and a weak compromise that seeks to pass off as a concensual collection decision. Leadership is weak here, i regard this as pure democracy where the leader looks spineless.
The Visionary — For lack of a better word. There is sufficient feedback collected, there is exchange of intellectual perspectives resulting in a very comprehensive understanding achieved by all parties leading to a decision juncture, required by the leader. The leader is one that commands respect from his team members (owing to some distinguishing character trait or academic pedigree), who retain varying degrees of faith in the leader despite any opinion differences and importantly, any variant decision eventually made. I prefer this sort of leadership. A culture that encourages multilateral consensus-seeking process but tolerates unilateral decision-making by an opinion-leader.